Team FSBT Revamp
by CJwat15
Summary: Many years before the canon storyline; a family heir who's been missing for years, a Wolf Faunus reluctantly following her family's legacy, a young girl with a dust-infused body, and a happy-go-lucky Hawk Faunus form Team FSBT (Frostbite) at Beacon Academy. This is their journey, misadventures, and triumphs.
1. Chapter 1: Off the Grid

_You can never run from who you are, but you can always shape yourself for the better._

 _Sometimes all you need to do is to lay back and let the world move on._

 _Or you could tie up the loose ends of the past._

* * *

"Ah...this cool breeze is so relaxing." Flae muttered as he sat down on the roof of an apartment.

It was a nice quiet night in Vale, and Flae was simply trying to enjoy the star filled sky before a series of clanging interrupted him.

"Oi you lot! Hurry up with those damn canisters!" came an irritated voice.

Flae peered over the roof and noticed a large group of hooded figures carrying boxes of canisters filled with some kind of green liquid. What really got his focus was the symbol he saw on the boxes.

"Hammerfall Technologies…" Flae sneered before deciding to follow them.

He unhooked a fairly sized black box from his black leather combat belt before pressing a button on it. The box unfolded to form Flae's dust hoverboard.

"Let's get this over with." Flae sighed as he tightened his gauntlets before flying after the hooded figures.

He followed the figures to what looked like an abandoned warehouse. Flae jumped off his hoverboard onto the roof before reverting it to its box form and holstering it.

Flae then spied through the warehouse's glass roof. Upon opening it he heard the conversations of the unhooded scientist looking people down below.

"Why are we testing this new serum here? Shouldn't we be in the labs?" one of them said.

"Because the boss wants to test it out on the people of Vale if it breaks loose. He's already covered our trail so let's get to work." another replied, who Flae assumed was the leader of this "operation"..

Flae wanted to dive in and apprehend them, but he soon noticed that a bunch of bulky mercenary looking guys had entered the warehouse as well; so he remained hidden and got his Scroll out instead.

"Okay gentlemen, who will be trying out our newest serum? Hm...how about you?" the lead scientist pointed to a nervous looking one.

Two of the mercs grabbed the man as another scientist pulled the cover off of a large metal cage. The mercs then tossed their captive into the cage before the lead scientist drew a revolver. Another handed him a few bullets that had just been tipped with the serum.

"Colleagues. Good to have, but expendable." the lead scientist chuckled to himself before loading and shooting the poor man in the cage. The man screamed in pain as he held his shoulder.

Flae twitched in horror at this reaction, especially when the man soon started to change.

Green scales started to grow by his neck and on his hands. His teeth became fangs, and his screams became primal.

"Excellent. This formula has much quicker and stable results. Let's write this down before heading back."

Flae felt a little sick observing this, but he had to do something.

"Time to give Element Spica's new modification a whirl then." Flae smiled as he loaded two clips of iron yo-yos into his gauntlets.

He then latched one of the yoyos onto the roof before he silently dropped onto the warehouse floor.

"I need to take those mercs down first...Time for a little distraction." Flae mumbled to himself before bringing a few materials out of his satchel.

The lead scientist was just writing down some notes when a loud bang startled him.

"Wha...excuse me, could someone please check that out? We don't need a rat poking around our research."

Two of the mercs drew machetes before heading towards the far left of the warehouse.

"Why did we even take this job?" one of them groaned.

"The money. We're all in it for the money." the other replied.

"I know bu-hey I saw something move over there!"

They both moved carefully towards the movement before one of them felt something tug at their leg.

"The hell? What i-ARGH!" the merc said before an explosion cut him off. The blast caught both of them, knocking them both out.

Flae then poked his head out from behind a few crates and admired his handy work.

"That's the easiest tripwire trap in the book. You'd think even the common thug would pay more attention." Flae snickered before hearing more footsteps. He ducked behind the crates and pulled out a small revolver.

"Damn it. Split up in groups, we have to find the intruder! Someone help me with the vials as well!" the head scientist exclaimed as the mercs spread out.

Flae then jumped from behind his hiding spot before rushing one of them.

"There's the intruder! Ge-Oof!" the merc shouted before getting cut off by a punch to the neck from Flae.

The rest of the mercs then charged at Flae.

Flae deftly dodged one before latching a yo-yo onto his ankle before tripping him up. Another merc tried to strike from his flank but was surprised when Flae blocked his machete with a small shield that extended from his gauntlet.

"Nice try!" Flae smiled before punching his face in retaliation.

The last three mercs decided to try and attack him all at once. Flae kept calm as they all lunged towards him before he fired yo-yos from both of his gauntlets. His yo-yos latched onto two of the merc's necks as Flae smashed them all together.

With all the unconscious mercs around, the scientists were starting to panic.

"Where's our evac? They said they'd be here five minutes ago!" one of them shrieked in fear.

"I just want to let you guys know that they're not coming for you." Flae calmly said as the lead scientist sneered at him.

"What do you know?"

"I know that the evac is for you and you alone. I know what you said about colleagues being expendable." Flae replied, much to the horror of the other scientists.

"Grrr...You dug your own grave then!" he shouted as he opened the cage with the mutating scientist.

The man inside was no more, and the thing resembled more of a lizard or dragon now.

The lead scientist then pulled out a grapple gun before zipping out of sight.

"Oh crap…" Flae murmured as the creature came charging towards him. He quickly raised his shield to block its strike, but it sent him flying backwards into the wall.

Flae quickly recovered as he witnessed the creature tear into a scientist. Flae gulped at the sight of blood but charged towards the creature regardless.

He raised his shield to charge as the creature noticed him and lashed out, but this time Flae pushed the attack to the side before attacking with his right gauntlet wristblade.

The swift strike dismembered the creature's hand, making it howl in pain before Flae finished it off with a slash to the creature's neck.

It let out a horrifying shriek before falling to the ground dead; a pool of dark blood forming underneath.

"If you don't want this to be you, I suggest you surrender now." Flae calmly said to the surviving scientists.

They didn't resist as Flae tied them up along with the mercenaries. The sudden sound of sirens told Flae that he had to go however.

He brought out his hoverboard before flying out through the window into the cold night once again.

* * *

Flae soon arrived at a small shop called _Overclocked Weapons and Gadgets,_ far away from the city center. It belonged to his good friend Trev; and Flae had been living with him and his sister Sarah for a while now. The lights were still on so Flae simply walked inside.

"Coming back late as per usual huh Flae?" Trev chuckled at Flae from behind the shop's counter.

"Just enjoying the nightlife Trev!" Flae laughed back.

They could be mistaken for brothers for everything except for appearance. Trev had short spiky brown hair and hazel eyes, while Flae had short light blue hair and sapphire eyes.

"So, how's Element Spica's newest variant working for you?" Trev inquired while messing around with a rifle scope.

"Pretty well, the shield and wristblade modifications have been the best ones yet." Flae replied.

Trev had helped Flae build his signature weapon; even if it had literally blown up in his face multiple times.

"Anyway, I gotta get some sleep. See you in the morning." Flae yawned out as he headed upstairs.

"Don't forget we're going out for crepes tomorrow. Sarah's been bugging me for hours before you got back." Trev groaned.

"Thanks for reminding me. The last time you forgot about her sweet tooth you paid a heavy price." Flae laughed at the memory of Sarah dumping ice cold water down Trev's back.

"Yeah yeah, just get to bed so I can finish this scope without worrying if my sister is gonna do that again." Trev sighed before heading into the back room.

"You got it boss." Flae replied before heading upstairs for some sleep.

Flae awoke early and got changed into a blue hoodie and jeans before heading downstairs for some breakfast. He sleepily walked into the kitchen and smelled coffee.

"Hey Trev? What's the deal? You don't even like coffee…" Flae yawned out.

"Um Flae, it's not for me." Trev replied, snapping Flae out of his stupor.

Flae's eyes went wide when he saw someone sitting at the dining table, sipping coffee from a mug.

The Headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin.

"Anyway, Professor Ozpin wants to chat with you in private so Sarah and I will head to the crepe place without you. See you soon!" Trev smiled before leaving with his sister.

Flae sat down opposite of Professor Ozpin before introducing himself.

"Greetings Professor Ozpin, I am Flae Allan."

"Mr. Allan is it? Is that your actual name?" Ozpin inquired with a stoic expression.

"Yes it is...is there something wrong with it?" Flae answered with a hint of nervousness.

"No, there's nothing wrong with a name change with your circumstances, Mr. Frostbrand." Ozpin said with a slight smile.

Flae forgot how to breathe for a second.

"How'd you…" Flae stammered.

"Your hair and eyes give it away Mr. Frostbrand. You've been missing for years, but yet here you are in Vale." Professor Ozpin replied before bringing out a Scroll which began playing a video.

It was a security recording of the warehouse last night.

Flae quickly shook off his surprise.

"So, did those mercs and scientists get put away?" Flae asked.

"Yes, and while they didn't provide any valuable information, I must ask how you developed those combat skills of yours."

"Some of them are from my father's training when I was younger, but the majority are from...erk…" Flae stopped near the end as he remembered something terrible.

"Don't force yourself. But your skills are admirable, and you even avoided unnecessary casualties." the headmaster listed as Flae recalled last night.

He only killed the mutated scientist because it would've overpowered him if he had tried to subdue it.

"So are you asking me if I want t-" Flae started but was cut off by the headmaster.

"If you want to attend Beacon Academy, yes. Your family would also be elated to know you're alive and well."

Flae pondered this for a while before responding.

"I would be honored, but I have to warn you that the group that those scientists are from are still looking for me. If they know where I am…then I don't want anything to happen to the school." Flae explained.

"I can assure you that your warning will be taken into careful consideration. Now then, I must be off." Professor Ozpin said before picking up his mug and heading for the door.

Flae didn't bother him, because he knew that Trev's mugs didn't have any symbols on them.

"I hope to see you at this year's initiation Mr. Frostbrand, you would make your father proud."

And with that, he was gone. Flae sat in thought before he was interrupted by his stomach growling.

* * *

"Wait...he invited you to Beacon Academy? Even though you've never graduated from a Primary Combat School?" Trev asked while Flae dug into a ham and cheese crepe.

"Yeah, he told me that it's because of what happened last night." Flae said.

"I told you to be more careful…" Trev sighed.

Flae quickly apologized before Sarah spoke up.

"But you get to go to Beacon! I want to go too!" she chirped before Trev ruffled her hair.

"You're too young to even attend Signal kiddo." Trev laughed.

He wasn't wrong. He and Trev were both 17, while Sarah was only 12. Trev's parents were travelling so he was the only one holding down the fort until they got back.

"Well, if it's your choice I'm not gonna stop you. Just make sure you come drop by once in awhile." Trev told Flae with a smile.

Flae stuffed the rest of his crepe into his mouth before Trev began to ramble about some more modifications he wanted to add to Element Spica.

Flae had tuned him out however as he laid back in his chair.

"This is when the life of Flae Allan ends, and when Flae Frostbrand shows himself to the world once again." he thought to himself.


	2. Chapter 2: Uneasy Legacy

_Why is it that when you seek to be normal something always gets in the way?_

 _Reasons are varied, but nothing hurts more than being presented with a choice._

 _To be special or to be nothing._

* * *

"Hah!" Sirena shouted as she struck a training dummy with a pair of knives. She was currently letting out her frustration after being declined a job at a bakery.

"All because I'm a Faunus!" Sirena shouted as she ripped the dummy's head off.

She panted for a bit before heading towards the showers.

After stripping down she forcefully punched the warm water button and remained still for a while. She then looked in the mirror and saw the reason she was rejected from practically every single job.

Her silver wolf ears.

Everyday she wished that she had been born with something less obvious. She had tried hiding them with hats and other accessories, but to no avail.

She quickly finished her shower before getting changed into a simple white dress. It was just as she was putting on her shoes when she heard someone call.

"Young mistress! Lunch is ready!"

Sirena smiled as she made her way towards the dining hall where her personal butler, Andrew was.

"Afternoon Andrew. Are my mother and father inside already?" Sirena said cheerfully.

"They are, and I believe your mother wishes to speak with you." Andrew courteously replied.

Sirena nodded assent before Andrew opened the door.

The large dining hall was simple yet elegant. A simple red and white interior with decorations to match. Sirena's mother Silvia, and father Sylvester were sitting at the head of the long marble table.

"Sirena dear, please have a seat." her mother called out as Sirena made her way over.

At her spot however, she noticed a sealed letter.

She knew that seal. It was from Beacon Academy.

Sirena had gone to Signal a few years ago, but she had never thought of attending an Academy since she wanted to gain some practical experience in the workforce.

She never had any drive to become a Huntress; her graduation from Signal was just a fluke.

"I know that you don't want to become a Huntress...but I think it would be better if you tried it out instead of just waiting for someone to hire you." Silvia gently said with a smile on her face.

Sirena knew what her mother was getting at.

"Alright mother. I guess I can...but you're not trying to discreetly coerce me into following the steps of our family are you?" Sirena skeptically said as she picked up the letter from Beacon.

Her family already had a long line of Huntsmen and Huntresses, but that life just didn't speak to her very well.

"I've already made you a gift for your time at Beacon. It's at the forge right now, so eat up!" Sirena's father laughed with a boisterous smile.

Sirena finished her lunch quickly before heading towards her family's forge. Her family, the Fioris, were well known in Vale for their weaponsmithing as well as their Huntsmen and Huntresses; with their only rivals being the Frostbrands.  
She entered the forge and saw a pair of daggers sheathed in leather holsters lying on a table. They had silver blades with a dark purple tint, and there were revolver-like chambers with triggers melded into the knives as well.

Sirena tentatively picked one of them up before opening it up.

"A magnum dagger? Oh Father, you always liked to go overboard with your designs." she sighed before donning a leather belt and strapping the daggers to it.

"Twilight. That's their name." came her father's voice from behind.

"Thank you father…" Sirena said as she turned around and gave him a big hug.

"Don't mention it. Just enjoy yourself at Beacon, and come home a proud woman."

Sirena kept clinging to him with a smile on her face, but a singular thought rushed through her mind.

"I don't want to be a proud woman. I want to be normal."

* * *

The next morning, Sirena had packed everything she needed for her time at Beacon. She decided to get some training in before heading to the airship for Beacon.

"Hey sis, come duel me! It's been forever!" came the voice of her older brother Drake, who was training in the yard with his gunblade.

"Alright, but go easy on me! I'm using a new weapon!" Sirena yelled back.

She stepped into the yard's training arena as her and her brother's Aura levels appeared on a monitor.

"So, what did Dad make you?" Drake casually asked in a ready stance.

"A pair of magnum daggers called Twilight." Sirena replied as she drew the mentioned weapons.

A buzzer rang out as Drake rushed towards Sirena recklessly. Sirena tried to keep him at bay with magnum rounds, which Drake easily blocked and dodged.

"Darn it!" Sirena said before intercepting his attack with her daggers.

"Crucial advice? Don't unload a magnum if you have two of them...otherwise you'll run out of ammo and reloading's going to be a pain."

The rest of the battle was quite one sided.

"Ow…" Sirena groaned as she headed for her family mansion's airship pad after a quick shower. Andrew was helping carry her luggage, and Sirena was in a new silver combat dress.

She didn't bother hiding her ears since she thought it would be fine at Beacon.

"Young mistress, please take care at Beacon." Andrew smiled.

"Thank you Andrew. I'll handle the cargo from here so please go get some rest, you deserve it." Sirena replied as Andrew handed her the rest of her bags before leaving.

Sirena took a deep breath as she approached the landing airship.

"Well, time to get this over with." Sirena sighed as she stepped onto the airship.

Exhaustion from the earlier duel seemed to be catching up with her however, so just as she peered out the airship window to see her home once again; she dozed off.


	3. Chapter 3: The Greatest Burden

_It's horrible, having your life taken away from you._

 _No parents, no friends, no love._

 _And even if you escape from your torment...can you ever regain your life?_

* * *

Brianna awoke to a familiar yet dreary sight.

The ceiling of her containment cell.

"Ugh…." she moaned while pushing herself out of her pristine bed. This was no royal chamber bed however; it was a terrible cot.

She tried to wake herself up, but a sudden loud booming voice from a speaker did it for her.

"Good morning Bri-Bri! Hope you slept well! There's so many activities planned for today!" came a sickly sweet male voice.

Brianna sighed dejectedly before walking out into the hallways.

Hammerfall Technologies, a group of scientists who had "taken care of her" for years; and yet she had never felt any compassion from them.

She continued on her way to the "playroom", as the scientists called it. She did overhear some scientists on her way however.

"Did you hear? A variation of the S-R107 serum has actually stayed stable."

"Seriously? Hasn't that serum been causing the higher-ups some serious resources?"

"Yes, and what's even worse is that the prized subject escaped. So the rest of our retirement fund is going towards recreating the serum."

"Ugh, what a pain. Who the hell even was the subject anyway?"

"One of the Frostbrands. We had three of them here, but one of them has escaped."

Brianna didn't exactly know who the Frostbrands were, but she knew who the scientists were talking about.

A few years ago, three new subjects were introduced to the others in the playroom. They all had light blue hair and dark blue eyes; two were male and one was female.

Brianna was too shy to talk to them, so she hid herself while eavesdropping on their conversations.

She learned their names, and about how scared they were about being thrown into the scientist's hands.

The female's name was Trina, while the two males were called Ferrol and Flae.

Trina looked completely out of place here. She ran into Ferrol or Flae's arms whenever one of the more burly test subjects tried to make a move on her.

Ferrol was always the one to take a punch or start brawling with those jerks, but all those bruises he got had to hurt…

Flae on the other hand, dealt with things in a much more reserved manner. He would always wait until people didn't expect it. Calmly defusing situations to get on people's good sides before backstabbing them in the most brutal manner.

Brianna was scared by both of them, especially whenever they had a "combat class".

She shook those thoughts out of her head as she arrived at the playroom.

"Good morning everyone." Brianna muttered as she entered.

The unanimous response from every test subject was a monotone "Morning".

Brianna sighed, as this had been happening ever since Flae escaped after the last experiment.

Every month a few of the subjects here would be experimented on with various serums and body augmentations.

Some of them were simple injections, while others were extensive tests involving complex machines and Dust.

An example was Brianna's experiment. Last month, the scientists had called her to the testing chambers to try something different. She went in hoping it was nothing too extreme.

How wrong she was.

The scientists infused a huge raw amount of Gravity Dust into her body, and it had been giving her sharp pains ever since.

The only comforts for the burden she had were the rare morphine injections from the scientists; or by using her Semblance, Withstand.

She had found out about it way before her Dust infusion during a combat class. One of the burly subject tried to punch her, but she somehow deflected the attack.

This led to the scientists performing many tests on what her Semblance could deflect. Her Aura was completely drained after that session, and it took her a week to recover from the bruises.

Brianna's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a blaring alarm.

"What on Remnant?" she said as the other subjects jumped.

The power suddenly went out for a brief moment before it came back.

"Don't worry, it's just a power fluctuation. I'm sur-" one of the scientists in the playroom said before the normally locked doors opened.

It was complete chaos after that. Everyone was rushing for the doors into the hallway, with some of the smaller subjects being trampled, and the larger ones pushing through.

Brianna spotted Ferrol and Trina in the crowd, and she quickly followed them.

The hallways weren't much better. It was an all out war between the subjects and scientists. Brianna just froze as she took in the bloodshed. A sudden voice shook her out of her daze however. It was Ferrol with Trina beside him.

"Come on! I know where we can arm ourselves!" he said as he grabbed Brianna's arm and dragged her along.

The three of them arrived at what looked like a small armory.

Brianna inspected the shelves of weapons as Ferrol grabbed an assault rifle from a rack.

"Trina, you're going to need something." he calmly said.

"I don't want to fight! Why aren't we just running?" Trina cried.

"Because if we crash into someone and can't run, then what are we going to do? Just wait for the inevitable?" Ferrol snapped back while handing her a longsword.

Brianna ignored them as she noticed something off in the corner of the room.

It looked like a metal whip, but it was giving off a purple glow. She grasped the unfamiliar weapon before holstering it onto a belt she picked up off the ground.

"Come on, we have to move." Ferrol said as he peered out into the hallway. Trina and Brianna followed him carefully, but just as they left…

"Three subjects escaping towards the west exit! Get them!" came a cry from a scientist.

Brianna turned to see the scientists accompanied by some burly looking men in armor. Ferrol then got her attention.

"Look, I don't know your name...but run while you can. Get my sister out of here." he pleaded.

Brianna didn't know how to respond, but Trina sure did.

"No, we can just run! Don't do something reckless!" she shrieked.

"Please…" Ferrol solemnly said to the two of them.

"Okay." Brianna quickly said before grabbing Trina's arm and rushing off.

"But brother!" Trina called back, but Ferrol refused to answer her as he started firing at their pursuers.

Brianna kept running with Trina behind her until the exit was in sight. Two more armored men guarded it however.

Trina awkwardly held out her longsword while visibly shaking; while Brianna uncoiled the whip on her belt.

One of the guards tried to lash out at Trina, but Brianna quickly intercepted. She expected the guard to simply block her attack, but the whip launched the guard into the wall instead.

"What the…" Brianna gasped in awe as the other guard brought out a radio in panic.

"This is the West Exit Guard! A subject has stolen the Shadowfury Prototype! Please sen-OOGH!" the guard exclaimed before Brianna cut him off with another strike from her whip.

Brianna grabbed Trina once again before rushing outside and into the unknown wilderness around the laboratory.

* * *

"Over there! Boats!" Brianna exclaimed as they burst through trees and bushes.

It turned out that there was a harbor just outside the lab. Brianna observed the harbor, and boats were already leaving with other subjects aboard.

Brianna didn't dare try to fight the others for a large boat, so she rushed towards one of the smaller speedboats instead.

She hopped on and searched for the engine keys, but they were nowhere to be found. Fortunately, Brianna had learned how to hotwire various vehicles from the shadier subjects.

As they sped off, Brianna turned to see that the lab was located on an island.

And straight ahead, was Vale.

"Well, here goes nothing…" Brianna sighed as she continued to speed towards Vale.

* * *

 _One month later…_

"Brr...it's so cold…" Brianna mumbled as she clutched her ragged coat tightly.

It had been a tough month for Brianna. She had arrived at Vale and was able to get Trina to an inn where she could call her parents. As Trina tried to calm her mother down, Brianna slipped out into the streets where she had been living for a while now.

She had no idea what happened to Trina, but right now she was starving. Clutching her stomach in pain, she saw something in an alleyway ahead.

Hooded figures carrying what looked like boxes from Hammerfall Technologies. Brianna didn't pay much attention until a man with light blue hair flew past on a hoverboard.

"Wait...was that Flae?" Brianna mumbled to herself before deciding to pursue him.

She followed him to an abandoned warehouse where she peered in through a broken window.

Everything after that was a blur. She watched Flae take down some armored guys and scientists, along with some mutated creature.

Brianna couldn't focus anymore however. The last thing she remembered before collapsing onto the ground was a man with a cane walking towards her.

"Good evening, Ms. Sage." she heard before blacking out.


	4. Chapter 4: Setting Sights

_Focus. Temperance. Willpower._

 _The key traits of any marksman._

 _Although, what happens when you throw Enthusiasm into the mix?_

* * *

"Excuse me, coming through!" Tiras said as he made his way through the crowd off a ferry.

Vale was a breath of fresh air compared to the deserts of Vacuo; and while Tiras preferred the warmer weather, it was nice not having sand fly in your face every five seconds.

The lack of turbulent sandstorms really got Tiras itching to spread his wings, both figuratively and literally.

He realized how fortunate he was, being a Hawk Faunus with actual wings. His other friends had similar traits to hawks, but none of them had full-bodied wings.

Of course, it wasn't easy trying to fly for long periods of time with a raging sandstorm.

"Gah!" Tiras stumbled as someone shoved him.

"Move on animal." came a bitter voice.

Tiras ignored it as he made his way towards a hotel where his uncle had reserved a room.

Tomorrow, he would be attending Beacon Academy. Most of his friends and siblings would be attending Shade Academy, but he wanted to break away from tradition.

He packed light, only bringing a small backpack, his combat gear, and a large metal case holding his family's weapon.

Crossfire, a double barrelled bolt action .308 rifle. The firing mechanism was crudely designed, but apparently it had been passed through his family for generations.

He entered the hotel and walked up to the front desk. The female receptionist raised her eyebrows at his wings, she didn't comment.

"Welcome to the Moonlight Hotel, how may I help you?" she forced a smile.

"Hello, I have a reservation under the last name Bradley." Tiras politely replied, hoping it would alleviate the stares from the other staff.

"Ah yes, let me grab your room key." she replied with a smile.

Tiras noticed out of the corner of his eye that the staff stopped staring at him. He sighed in relief as he was handed his key and headed up to his room.

"Well this is nice." Tiras said as he looked around the small room on the second floor. He set his belongings down before starting a letter to his family back in Vacuo.

He was just about to finish it when his stomach growled.

"Heheh, better get something to eat." he chuckled as he grabbed his metal case and left his room, locking the door behind him.

* * *

He was walking through the streets downtown looking for a cafe or something quaint; when suddenly the sound of glass shattering caught his attention.

"Stop thief!" someone cried out as Tiras noticed a man carrying a large bag running towards him. Tiras tried to use his case to trip the man, but the man smirked as he leaped over Tiras.

Tiras decided he had no choice and quickly brought out his rifle. He always kept it assembled and loaded, just in case he had to defend himself.

The man had almost rounded a corner when Tiras fired. The man was barely able to dodge one bullet but the other caught him in the leg.

"Argh!" the man cried out as Tiras flew over and restrained him.

Tiras kept him pinned as he looked in the bag.

Dozens of Lien cards laid within.

"Freeze!" came another voice. Tiras looked up to see two police officers with their guns raised. He quickly got up and raised his hands.

"Officer, this animal was trying to steal my Lien!" the man complained.

Tiras was appalled, was this man seriously trying to do this?

"Alright, hands behind your head Faunus...I don't need any White Fang crap today." the officer sighed, much to Tiras' shock.

"Wait a minute!" a voice from behind panted. Tiras turned to see a young brown haired girl catching her breath.

"Officer, that's money from my mother's cafe." she explained as Tiras sighed in relief.

"...Very well." the officer replied before apprehending the man on the ground.

Tiras and the girl got the rest of it sorted out before Tiras was invited to the girl's cafe.

"Thank you very much for stopping that thief. Now all that's left is to repair the window." a much older version of the girl from earlier (who Tiras assumed was her mother) was sitting down and enjoying a cup of coffee.

"You're welcome ma'am. And no offense, I expected you to not serve me." Tiras smiled back with a bagel in his hand.

"Nonsense. I may detest today's White Fang but I'm not one to suspect every Faunus." she calmly replied.

Tiras silently wished that more people would think like this kind woman.

"If you don't mind me asking, are you a Beacon student?"

"That's right. I might be from Vacuo but I graduated from Primary Combat School all the same. I just wanted to do something different compared to my friends and family." Tiras explained as he leaned back in his chair.

He continued to chat with the woman and her daughter late into the evening, all while enjoying some delicious baked goods.

* * *

Tiras got back to his hotel room late in the evening. He sat down at his desk once more to finish his letter. He then read it over.

"To Mom, Dad, and Uncle. My initial impressions of Vale have been mostly favorable. There is Faunus discrimination like you all expected, but I have already met a few who have embraced the unpopular truth. We are still part of Remnant. I'll write again after I've gotten through Beacon's first day. Your loving son, Tiras."

Tiras prepared his letter, but just as he was sealing it...another loud crash came from outside.

He peered out the window and saw someone else running away with a bag.

"Heh." Tiras scoffed as he quickly grabbed his rifle.

He had the target in his sights.


	5. Chapter 5: First Day

Flae was both excited and nervous. It was the day he started attending Beacon Academy, but he also had some important things to get out of the way before he went there.

He arrived at Beacon early to use the Cross Continental Transmit System tower (CCT) to call his parents. He didn't want his parents to faint from some news article that reached Atlas.

"Hello. Welcome to the CCT. How may I help you?" a female AI greeted Flae as he entered.

"I need to make a call, but may I kindly request one of the private communication rooms?" Flae politely requested.

"Certainly, they're all free right now. Could you please place your Scroll on the terminal to verify your identity?" she said as Flae complied.

"Thank you Mr. Frostbrand, please head over to Room 3." the AI replied before blinking out.

Flae then made his way over to the room where sat down in a chair and was greeted by another female AI.

"Welcome to the CTT, how may I help you?"

"I'd like to make a call to the Frostbrand Enterprises head office please." Flae answered.

"Certainly. I'm patching you through right now, please wait a moment."

Flae patiently waited as he felt his hands clamming up. Suddenly, the face of his father's secretary, Arnold appeared.

"Hello and thank you for calling Frostbrand Enterprises. Please state your name and purp-Flae?!" Arnold started politely but gasped in shock when he saw Flae.

"Yo Arnold. It's been awhile!" Flae smiled back.

"Flae...forgive me, but it's hard to believe that I'm speaking to you right now. Especially after all these years." Arnold stammered.

"Yeah I can understand why. Might getting Mother and Father in the call?" Flae laughed.

"Of course. Just to let you know, Trina called a few days ago." Arnold explained.

"Wait, she did?" Flae replied in surprise.

"Yep, it might be better if you hear the story from your parents though." Arnold said.

Flae was still pondering over his surprise as Arnold left to call his parents.

"Did she escape as well? That's amazing…but what happened to Ferrol?" Flae murmured to himself before he heard a tearful female voice.

"F..Flae?"

He focused back on the screen and saw the faces of both his father Felix and his mother Tessa.

"Hi mom, hi dad. How's it going?" Flae lightly smiled before his mother burst into tears.

"Flae...how..we just got a call from Trina a few days ago, and that almost gave your mother a heart attack." his father stammered while visibly trying to hold in tears.

"That's a long story. I'd really like to tell you about it but I'll be late for my first day at Beacon." Flae explained.

"Beacon? Oh, did Ozpin find you first?" Felix questioned and Flae nodded assent.

"Nevermind that, what's up with Trina?" Flae asked.

"Ah, she gave us a call from somewhere in Vale called the Moonlight Hotel. You should go visit her, we've booked her room until we can come and pick her up after all."

Flae pondered this. He wouldn't be able to visit her until the weekend, so he just hoped she'd be okay by herself.

"I gotta get going, I think the entrance ceremony starts in a bit. Love you both!" Flae exclaimed happily as his father smiled back and his mother calmed down.

"Take care my son." his father said before ending the call.

Flae then got up and headed towards where he assumed the amphitheater was.

He then noticed that more airships were flying in.

"Maybe I should greet them." Flae murmured to himself as he changed course.

* * *

Sirena awoke to a loud announcement on the intercom.

"Attention all passengers, we have now arrived at Beacon Academy."

She quickly stretched before getting out of her seat. There were other students around her now, and some of them were giving her looks.

"Great, my ears are already getting attention…" Sirena sighed as she picked up her luggage and quickly made her way off the ship.

Beacon towered before her. She stood there in awe with a few passersby telling her to snap out of it; but she was amazed.

Something else caught her attention however. A large crowd in the plaza.

As she drew closer she overheard the conversation.

"No way, is he a Frostbrand?"

"Weren't they all missing for years?"

"Not all of them, only the children of the family disappeared."

Sirena peered over someone's shoulder and saw the aforementioned person.

She knew who it was. Flae Frostbrand, the middle child of the three Frostbrand children. He had attended a few of her mansion's parties alongside his siblings. What was strange was how compared to his siblings, he knew exactly what people were thinking; and that was admirable. The arrogant nobles who tried to squirm into his mind couldn't get past his dismissive wit.

Still, what was he doing here? He should've been attending Atlas Academy.

"Everyone, thank you for the warm welcome. You should all make our way towards the amphitheater however, I think the entrance ceremony is about to start." he calmly ordered as everyone voiced their complaints.

Sirena noted that he hadn't changed one bit. Flae noticed her however.

"Hey there. Um, Sirena right? Sirena Fiori?" he said with a smile on his face.

"Yeah. Nice to see you again I guess." Sirena awkwardly replied, not sure how to respond. Regardless of how nice Flae was, it still didn't feel right talking to a member of the rival family to hers.

"Is something wrong? You look kinda out of it." Flae asked.

"No it's fine, I just didn't have the best sleep last night. Let's get going to the amphitheater!" Sirena quickly said before walking off.

"Um, it's the other way Sirena." Flae laughed, much to Sirena's embarrassment.

This was not a great start to her day.

* * *

Brianna awoke suddenly and fell out of bed due to a loud alarm clock.

"Ow…" she groaned as she stared at the ceiling. For once it wasn't the top of her containment cell or the early morning sky.

After she had recovered from collapsing, she had woken up in a hospital where she almost went ballistic. She had thought that Hammerfall Technologies had recaptured her so she desperately tried to escape, only for a silver haired man to walk in and calm her down.

The Headmaster of Beacon Academy was nice enough, and the best part was that he offered her a place at his Academy, despite the look she got from the scary blonde woman beside him.

Brianna had been staying in one of the private Beacon dorm rooms, but she only had access to it until the entrance ceremony was over.

She let out a loud yawn before picking herself up and heading towards the room's wardrobe.

The Headmaster had provided her with some simple clothes, which she was perfectly fine with. A simple white top, black jacket, and a pair of jeans.

Once she was dressed, she headed towards the school's armory to check up on her equipment.

In her locker was the prototype whip she stole from Hammerfall Technologies, alongside something else she had been able to design herself. A small wrist mounted crossbow.

It might've been old fashioned, but the smiths at Beacon didn't bat an eyelid at her request.

Quickly closing her locker, she made her way towards the amphitheater for the entrance ceremony.

* * *

"Agh my back…" Tiras groaned as he stretched while walking off the airship towards Beacon. Sitting down for too long made his wings hurt like heck. He then grabbed his backpack and rummaged through it.

"Huh? Oh crap." he said as he pulled out his Scroll.

He'd forgotten to download the map for Beacon's campus. He looked around in a panic before realizing that everyone had moved along while he had been stretching.

Fortunately, he noticed two people who he could catch up to. One of them had short light blue hair while the other had silver hair and ears. Tiras felt relieved that one of them was a Faunus, so he quickly made his way over.

"Hey there!" Tiras exclaimed, getting their attention.

"What's up?" the light blue haired boy replied with a smile.

"H..hello." the silver haired girl awkwardly replied.

"My name's Tiras Bradley, how about you two?" Tiras introduced himself.

"I'm Flae. Flae Frostbrand. And this is Sirena Fiori." the light blue haired male explained.

They then engaged in light banter as they headed towards the amphitheater.

"Wow...it's amazing." Sirena said as they walked into the large amphitheater.

"Sure is. And looks like we made it just in time for the ceremony." Tiras replied as they took their spots.

Professor Ozpin came out onto the middle stage, alongside Glynda Goodwitch, one of Beacon's teachers.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose – direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." he spoke before stepping away and Miss Goodwitch took the stage.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." she said before everyone started chatting.

"So...was that supposed to be a motivational speech or was it just a way of weeding out the trash?" Tiras bluntly asked.

"I think it's the latter, but you're right, how was that supposed to be our grand welcome?" Sirena replied.

"Tiras, _weeding_ _out_ _the_ _trash_ is not the best term to describe it." Flae interjected.

"Huh? Wait, do you know what it's supposed to mean?" Tiras said in surprise.

Flae nodded as a few others had gathered around now.

"It's a very reflective speech. The Headmaster is telling us that learning about Remnant and polishing our combat skills is only scraping the surface of being a Huntsman or Huntress. The depths of our potential are only going to be realized when we decide that we can't just attend this Academy superficially. That's the first step he's talking about." Flae explained before he realized that everyone was looking at him.

"Oh sorry, that was me rambling." he nervously chuckled before Tiras spoke up.

"No, that was awesome Flae!" Tiras smiled before slapping Flae on the back.

This incited a similar reaction from the rest of the students crowding around them.

"Ugh, was it really that awesome?" Flae thought to himself as he felt a headache coming on.

* * *

Later that night, Tiras and Flae had fortunately been able to find sleeping bags next to each other. Tiras was writing a letter home while Flae was simply staring at the ceiling. Something caught Tiras' eye however.

"Hey Flae...is it just me or is it a bad idea for everyone to be changing out in the open like this?" Tiras stammered as he caught a glimpse of a female student's exposed chest.

"Eh it's fine. Just another test, only this one's for the guys...ooh there's a nice pair of legs over there." Flae casually said while tilting his head to the side.

"Didn't you just contradict yourself?" Tiras scolded.

"Hey, it's only bad if we stare. Appreciating a nice pair of legs or chest never hurt anyone." Flae laughed back.

Tiras raised his eyebrows before hearing footsteps behind him.

"Um guys, is the bag over here taken? I haven't found many open spots." Sirena said as Tiras turned around.

He almost lost it when he saw Sirena's nightwear. It was criminally thin and hugged her figure way too tightly.

"Sirena...is that what you normally wear to bed?" Flae calmly asked.

"Ugh...no it's not. My brother must've switched it at the last minute as a practical joke. You two wouldn't happen to have a spare set of clothes would you?" she sighed.

Tiras shook his head as Flae tossed her a t-shirt and shorts from his bag.

"Thanks Flae. I'm gonna go change so save my spot!" Sirena exclaimed before running off.

"Tiras, that'll be your job. I want to go get some fresh air and a break from the eye candy." Flae yawned out.

"Don't leave me! You're the only thing stopping me from leering at the girls!" Tiras cried out as Flae giggled at him.

"Have fun! And don't sell yourself short, some girls are staring at you as well." Flae said before disappearing down the hall.

Tiras' eyebrows rose at that as he looked around. Just as Flae had said, a group of girls had been staring at him.

"Maybe I should've worn a shirt…" Tiras groaned as he looked down at his toned chest.

* * *

Flae was hit with a blast of cool evening air when he opened the door to the rooftops.

"Ah...this is so relaxing...Hm?" he said to himself before noticing that someone else was up there. A small girl with peach hair tied into a ponytail was sitting on the edge.

"Huh?" the girl suddenly turned around and her eyes went wide when she saw Flae.

"Um, is something wrong?" Flae questioned as the girl approached him.

"N-no. It's fine. I was just getting some fresh air." the girl awkwardly said while shuffling her feet.

Flae suspected that she was hiding something, but he didn't press her.

"I was doing the same thing, mind if I join you?" Flae asked while gently smiling.

"Sure…" the girl said as they sat down and stared at the stars.

"Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Flae. Flae Frostbrand."

"Um...Brianna. Brianna Sage. Nice to meet you."

Flae and Brianna then admired the stars for a bit longer before Flae got up to head back down.

"You coming Brianna?" he asked.

"I think I'll stay up here for a bit longer." she replied.

"Alright, good night then!" Flae smiled at her before leaving.

Brianna returned her gaze to the stars.

"I can't believe Flae's here. Thankfully I kept my distance at the lab, otherwise he might've recognized me." she sighed out.

If he had recognized her, what would she have told him about his siblings?

She forced these thoughts out of her head before focusing back on the stars.

* * *

When Flae got back to the ballroom, practically everyone was asleep; so he quietly tiptoed around the sleeping students towards his spot. Tiras and Sirena were already fast asleep, so he quickly curled up in his own sleeping bag.

Just as he was drifting off however, he thought of Brianna.

"She definitely knew me...but from where?" Flae mumbled to himself before falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Gem Hunters

Flae awoke to silence. He looked around to see that everyone else was sleeping, so he quietly got up and headed for the locker room where his equipment was stored the last night.

Upon opening his locker he found Element Spica and his revolver, alongside his new combat uniform. A brown leather jacket with armor plates, a pair of black cargo pants, and an armored vest.

Trev had helped him put it together, but the metal used for the plating and armor vest was all made by Flae's Semblance; Crystal Forge, which infused various types of metal with an ice-like crystal that reinforced the metal.

He had learned that it was a family Semblance when he was younger, but he hadn't gotten to truly test it before...

"Urk…" Flae felt his head hurt at the painful memories. He quickly shook it off before donning his outfit and weapons.

He then headed back to the ballroom to wake Tiras up.

Sirena let out a huge yawn as she awoke before trying to rub sleep from her eyes.

"Ugh...coffee." she groaned with a craving for her favorite beverage. She sleepily tried to grab her Scroll, but ended up grasping something else instead. It felt...feathery?

"Heheh..that tickles…" came a soft male voice which made Sirena jump up in surprise.

"What the...oh right, that's Tiras." Sirena sighed in relief before she heard snickering.

She turned to see Flae in combat gear holding in laughter.

"What, what's so funny?" she inquired with a stern look.

"O..oh sorry...it's just...you and Tiras have terrible cases of bed head right now…" Flae gasped out between breaths.

It took a few seconds for Sirena to realize what he had said. She then frantically tried to pat her silver hair down.

"Anyway...while you two get over your hair fiasco, I'm gonna grab breakfast! See you in the locker room!" Flae laughed out before leaving.

Sirena was still trying to fix her hair as Tiras woke up.

"Huh? Sirena, what are you...oh." Tiras trailed off as he tried to hold in his laughter.

"Don't look at me like that. In fact, your hair is just as bad." Sirena commented on Tiras' spiky brown hair.

"Huh? Oh crap! Haha, it's all over the darn place!" Tiras laughed out as he felt his head.

Sirena gave him a flat look.

"Seriously, do you guys not realize how important a girl's hair is?" she sighed.

* * *

Flae casually walked to the cafeteria to grab some breakfast, and he was surprised that it wasn't that crowded.

"Initiation starts in an hour and a half...Do people want to get indigestion?" Flae sighed before admiring the buffet of food that had been laid out.

He snatched a plate before piling on eggs, bacon, and a few pieces of toast. He then grabbed an apple before noticing something by the drinks.

"Soda?...For breakfast? Awesome!" Flae exclaimed as he picked up a can of _People Like Grapes_. He then noticed Brianna, sitting by herself.

"Hey, mind if I sit with you?" Flae asked with a smile as he walked up.

"Um...sure." Brianna nervously replied.

"Are you really sure? You don't sound like it." Flae pointed out.

"Y-yeah...Sorry, I'm really not good with people." she muttered before turning back to her meal.

Flae decided that it was okay, so he sat down across from her before digging into his breakfast.

"Do you normally eat this much?" Brianna inquired as Flae wolfed his food down.

"Yeah, but not as a kid. It's strange. Normally it's when someone's in their pre-teens that they eat like wolves. You know, because of growth spurts and all that." Flae said in between mouthfuls.

"I didn't know that." Brianna replied as Flae's eyes widened.

"Wait...how?" Flae stammered.

"Um...well…" Brianna stuttered, trying to explain herself.

Flae raised his eyebrows at this, but a sudden yell caught his attention.

"Hey Flae! Mind if we come sit with you?" Tiras yelled from the cafeteria's entrance.

"Sure, come on over!" Flae yelled back while Brianna was trying to stop him.

"I..I told you I'm not good with people!" she cried.

"Well the best way to get over that is to meet some new faces! Don't worry, they're harmless! I think…" Flae teased, much to Brianna's chagrin.

Sirena and Tiras quickly grabbed their breakfast before sitting at their table.

"Nice to meet you Brianna! I'm Tiras, and this is Sirena." Tiras boisterously introduced while holding a blueberry muffin.

"Y-yeah...nice to meet you." Brianna quietly replied.

Tiras tilted his head in confusion, but before he could say anything Flae gave him a look.

"She's shy. Don't go overboard." Flae tried to convey.

He got another confused look in response, but it seemed that Flae's message got through.

"So, who's wondering what our test will be?" Sirena asked, looking much more perky with a mug of coffee by her side.

"Considering how Ozpin's speech went yesterday, I'm thinking he'll just casually drop us into the Emerald Forest with instructions to follow." Flae deadpanned.

"But aren't teams supposed to be formed today as well? How's he going to do that?" Tiras replied.

"Hm. Good question." Flae muttered before a large crowd of sleepy students entered the cafeteria.

"I think that's our cue to head to the locker room and gear up." Flae stated as they all finished their breakfast.

* * *

Tiras opened his locker where his rifle was stowed and donned a simple kevlar vest with a built-in bandolier. He then grabbed his rifle and started loading it.

"Hey Tiras, don't marksmen normally have a sidearm?" Flae cut in, startling him.

"Uh, normally that's what the spear mode is for. But I suppose you have a point. What about you Flae?" Tiras asked as he loaded the last round into Crossfire.  
Flae chuckled as he punched his fists together.

"Meet Element Spica, a pair of Dust Infused Yo-Yo Gauntlets. I also have a pocket revolver on hand as my backup weapon." he explained with a big smile.

"Woah..wait...yo-yos? Seriously?" Tiras raised his eyebrows at Flae's choice of ammunition.

Flae nodded before he noticed something behind him.

A man with messy dark blue hair and a halberd on his back seemed to be heckling a pair of girls. One of the girls had long light blue hair; while the other had long ruby hair with a pair of red cat ears.

"Ugh, I'm betting fifty Lien he's giving the redhead trouble." Tiras groaned in annoyance.

"Tell you what, I'll give you that money if I go over there and get my ass handed to me." Flae joked with a smile on his face.

"And if you put him in his place?" Tiras chuckled back in reply.

"You won't question my yo-yos. Deal?"

Tiras nodded and watched in anticipation as Flae casually walked over.

"I'm telling you, she's had enough. Why can't you just leave her alone?" the blue haired girl shouted.

"Because you never know if she could be some filthy White Fang trying to infiltrate the school!" the halberd wielder replied.

"Um..Azure, I think we should just get going." the redhead cat Faunus tried to get them away from the man.

"Excuse me? Might I ask what the commotion is all about?" Flae politely asked, getting everyone's attention.

"Hey, you tell me, couldn't this Faunus here be a member of the White Fang?" the man argued while pointing at the redhead.

Flae looked at the two girls, and while the redhead had a nervous look; the girl called Azure gave him a solemn look.

"I don't think so." Flae replied without any heat, much to the man's annoyance.

"What, ho-" he began but Flae cut him off.

"You see, the Vale branch may have gone off the deep end but that's no reason to lump every Faunus you see with them. Besides, I can tell that she's here as nothing more than an eager first-year, raring to begin her training as a Huntress." Flae calmly explained before walking over to the redhead.

"What's your name sir?" she nervously asked.

"Flae. Flae Frostbrand. It's nice to meet you." Flae held out his hand for a shake.

"Scarlet Maron. You can just call me Scarlet though, and this is my childhood friend Azure." she replied happily while shaking his hand.

A grunt interrupted them however.

"How can you be so casual about this...animal?" the man spat which visibly dampened Scarlet's mood.

"You know, we're all animals." Flae replied with a smirk.

"Huh? What do you me-!" the man started but Flae forcefully grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Flae was glaring daggers at him.

"We're all animals, but it's our responsibility to not become _monsters_. Otherwise, you're no better than a Grimm." Flae stated coldly before letting him go.

The man stared him down but just turned to leave instead of retorting. Flae noticed a name on his jacket however.

"Hey Zaffre? Have a good trip!" Flae called out.

Zaffre turned towards Flae before tripping onto his face, getting laughs out of the two girls. He quickly picked himself up before stalking out of the locker room. Tiras then walked over.

"Geez! Was that just a coincidence or what?" Scarlet laughed out.

"Nope, look closely." Flae said, drawing everyone's attention to an almost invisible wire.

"Wait, if I'm not going crazy, did you just set that up Flae?" Tiras questioned before getting a nod from Flae.

"Man, sorry for questioning your yo-yos."

"It's fine. Just make sure it doesn't happen again or you might find yourself hanging upside down the next time you wake up." Flae casually replied.

Tiras felt a shiver go down his spine before a loud voice boomed through the intercom.

"Would all first-years please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately." came Ms. Goodwitch's voice.

"Well, we'll see you there!" Scarlet happily replied as she and Azure left the locker room.

Flae quickly undid his tripwire before Tiras spoke up.

"Hey, where are Sirena and Brianna? I thought they followed us after breakfast?" Tiras inquired as he looked around.

"You're right...oh wait, I think I hear them." Flae replied, and as if on cue, Sirena and Brianna came barreling into the locker room wearing their combat uniforms.

"Sorry! Sirena got lost so I had to track her down." Brianna panted out.

"I did not get lost! I just forgot my combat outfit in the ballroom." Sirena replied.

Flae looked over the white armor plated combat dress Sirena had donned.

"So, are you a fan of combat skirts or is this something your brother picked out for you as well?" Flae joked.

"No this is something I like, but my brother did buy it for me. Why do you ask?" Sirena tilted her head to the side.

"Well...it's just because…" Tiras stammered before Flae cut in.

"Your skirt's pretty short and your nightgown was quite form fitting. Does your brother have a thing for exhibitionism?" Flae bluntly said, much to Sirena's chagrin.

"No he does not! It's just a practical joke and can we please just forget about last night!?" Sirena cried out in panic, much to everyone else's amusement.

"Come on, let's head to the cliff." Tiras chimed in.

* * *

Sirena had calmed herself down as she stood on top of a metal plate with Beacon's symbol on it. She focused her attention on Professor Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch standing in front of all the first years.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Professor Ozpin started before Miss Goodwitch stepped forward.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard the rumors about the assignment of _teams_. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... **today.** " she explained, getting murmurs from the students.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Professor Ozpin continued.

Sirena mentally went over a list of people she would want to be teamed with. Brianna was shy but charming, Tiras was pretty cool, and Flae wouldn't be such a bad option if he wasn't from a rival family.

"That being said, the first person you make with contact after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin stated, getting a few shocked expressions.

Sirena really needed to find Brianna or Tiras then.

"After you've partnered up, you will have to locate one of six gemstones that have been placed in caverns throughout the Emerald Forest. Our instructors will monitor you but will not intervene. Bring your gemstone back to the top of the cliff where we will regard it as well as your performance. There will be opposition along the way, so do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path...or you **will** die." he finished.

"That was a little more inspiring than our welcoming speech." Siren thought, but her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she felt something moving below her.

"Wait, what is..GAH!" Sirena cried before the pad she was standing on launched her into the air.

The rest of the first years watched in horror as Sirena went tumbling through the air.

"Welp, let's get this show on the road!" Flae exclaimed as he was launched next.

The rest of the students were then flung towards the forest as Professor Ozpin casually took a sip of his coffee.

* * *

Sirena kept tumbling for awhile before she drew her daggers and stuck herself into a tree. The force she felt hurt, but she endured it before dropping down onto the forest floor.

"Okay, gotta find Tiras or Brianna." she quickly said before dashing into the foliage.

Hopefully she could find a cavern as well.

* * *

Tiras simply waited to get closer to the ground before he spread his wings and landed on a tree branch before looking around with his rifle scope.

"So, where are those caverns? I'm sure if I head towards one of those I'll meet someone along the way." he said to himself before noticing one in the distance hidden by leaves.

He then quickly jumped from his tree and stalked towards its location.

* * *

Brianna had no idea for a landing strategy, so she simply activated her Semblance out of panic. Surprisingly when she crashed through a few trees and into the ground; all she felt was the impact without the pain.

She picked herself off the ground as she realized that she had landed in front of a cavern entrance covered in leaves.

"Well, isn't that convenient? I should see what else my Semblance can do sometime." she murmured to herself as she made her way inside.

* * *

"Woo-hoo! This is awesome!" Flae laughed out as he flew over the Emerald Forest on his hoverboard. He looked around before firing a yo-yo towards a tree branch and grappling towards the ground while placing his hoverboard back on his belt.

He hit the ground with a light thud before looking around. It seemed that he was alone, until he noticed a familiar flash of silver hair.

"I don't want to seem like a stalker, but I also don't want Sirena to run into that Zaffre guy." Flae said to himself as he headed towards the silver hair.

* * *

Sirena hacked her way through a few branches with her daggers before a low growl caught her attention. She turned to see not only a cavern entrance, but also a few Beowolves.

"Alright then." Sirena readied herself for battle as they circled her.

One tried to attack from behind, but she quickly slashed it down before the others descended on her.

Sirena put a few magnum rounds into one before stabbing another. She then barely caught another growl from behind and dodged a swipe from an Ursa Minor.

"Darn it." she muttered under her breath, knowing full well that her rounds wouldn't pierce its hide.

The Ursa charged toward her, only to have something wrap around its neck.

A yo-yo.

Sirena watched in horror as Flae lunged forward and drove his wristblade into the back of the Ursa's neck before flipping over its head.

"And you're done!" Flae exclaimed before putting a revolver round through its skull.

It quickly dissipated as Flae turned towards Sirena.

"Well, nice to be your partner Sirena!" Flae said with a wide smile.

"Y..Yeah. Same here." Sirena nervously replied.

What would her parents say about this?

"Anyway, let's go find that gemstone." Flae stated as he headed towards the cavern entrance.

* * *

Brianna peered into the cavern and saw nothing more than darkness.

"You know, Faunus have night vision." Tiras' voice came from behind.

"Wagh!" Brianna shrieked in surprise.

"Shhh! We don't know what's in there!" Tiras quietly scolded.

Brianna quickly apologized before staring back into the cavern.

"So, I guess we're partners." Brianna flatly stated.

"You don't have to sound so disappointed." Tiras chuckled as he took the lead.

They quietly snuck through the cave, Brianna staying close to Tiras since she could hardly see...before Tiras halted himself.

"Beowolves ahead, over half a dozen of them. And they're all around the gemstone. Guess they were attracted to its shine." Tiras muttered as he pulled something out of his bandolier.

"There's no choice but to go through them right?" Brianna asked.

"Yep, so I'll toss a flare in before trying to take as many down as I can, but you'll need to grab the gemstone while I cover you."

"Um..okay. I'm ready." Brianna nervously replied before Tiras lit a flare and threw it towards the Beowolves.

They let out a surprised snarl as Tiras drew his rifle. Three Beowolves charged at him, but he took them down with ease.

Brianna took her chances and charged forward with her whip, pummeling a Beowolf to the side as she snatched the light blue gemstone beneath her.

"I got it!" Brianna cried out as Tiras took down another Beowolf.

They then bolted for the entrance with the rest of the Beowolves hot in pursuit.

"Come on! We have to get to the cliff!" Tiras shouted as they ran.

* * *

Sirena and Flae looked into the cavern entrance before Flae grabbed a long thick branch off the forest floor.

"I'll go first, just let me make a torch." Flae explained as he wrapped a piece of cloth around the branch before covering it in Fire Dust. The branch practically burst into flame as Flae used a lighter.

Sirena then followed Flae as he headed into the cavern.

It seemed to be a rather dull cave, if just a bit damp. Sirena kept walking forward until Flae held his arm out.

"What is it?" Sirena asked before looking ahead of her.

There on a pedestal, was a light blue gemstone.

"We found it!" Sirena exclaimed as she took a step forward.

"Hold up." Flae interrupted once again, much to Sirena's annoyance.

Flae looked ahead and saw that the majority of the floor was covered in leaves.

"Uh oh...Sirena, you might want to stay back. If I'm right, there are Arachnid nests under these leaves." Flae explained.

"Arachnids? Are they Grimm?" Sirena asked.

"Yep. Nasty little things that'll crawl all over you and leave you frantically trying to bat them off. Their poison's pretty lethal so it's better if we just avoid them; but I'd rather not leave a bunch of them hanging around. So here's the plan: You hold onto the torch while I go retrieve the gemstone. When I grab it, you set fire to these leaves."

"But what about you?" Sirena worriedly asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be on my hoverboard and will be able to get out if they wake up. Just be ready to drop the torch and run." Flae assured her.

Sirena nodded as Flae brought out his hoverboard.

"Okay, I'm off." he said with a hint of nervousness.

Flae carefully hovered over the leaves as Sirena nervously held the torch.

"Come on…" Sirena murmured to herself as Flae reached for the gemstone.

As soon as he lifted it from the pedestal, Sirena noticed a few Arachnids coming out.

"Um...Flae?" Sirena stammered.

"NOW!" Flae barked as Sirena dropped the torch and ran back towards the cave entrance. Flae quickly followed with the gemstone in hand, but the Arachnids were flowing out now and a few latched onto his left arm.

"Agh!" Flae cried out in pain as they bit against his Aura. He quickly squashed them with his gauntlet before throwing a Fire Dust crystal back towards the nests.

It exploded, flinging Flae and forward on his hoverboard while taking care of the pursuing Arachnids. Flae landed outside face first, but he quickly recovered and checked his arm.

"Flae! Did you get bit?" Sirena asked in panic.

"Didn't go through my Aura thankfully. Let's get back to the cliff." he reassured her.

They then heard loud footsteps and moving foliage.

"That sounds like trouble." Sirena muttered.

"Let's go help then, I doubt the Academy wants to file a student casualty report today." Flae deadpanned as they quickly headed towards the movement.

* * *

"Run Brianna!" Tiras shouted back as he burst past a branch.

"Hah..hah...hah.." Brianna panted as she was barely able to keep up.

They just burst into a clearing before seeing two Beowolves lunge towards them, only to see them slashed to pieces by Scarlet and Azure.

"Are you two okay? We heard the growling and got here as soon as we could." Azure calmly said while twirling her spear.

"Y..yeah...just...agh...let me catch my breath." Brianna said while clutching her chest.

They were then interrupted by a series of footsteps. Beowolves burst out of the foliage and started to encircle them.

"This..doesn't look good." Tiras muttered while transforming Crossfire into spear mode.

"We gotta hold them off while Brianna recovers. Let's do this!" Scarlet barked while brandishing her gauntlet claws.

All three of them fended off the Beowolves with precise slashes before a terrifying sound rang throughout the air.

"Oh no, is that…" Scarlet muttered before a large creature slammed down in front of them.

"Yep...A Griffon, and an Alpha variant at that." Tiras sighed.

"Come on. Let's take it down!" Brianna said, having recovered her breath.

Scarlet and Azure tried to slash at it, but it quickly dodged into the air before diving towards them. The two girls were sent flying as the Griffon then charged at Brianna and Tiras.

"Crap!" Tiras exclaimed as he readied himself for a blow...but it never came.

A yo-yo had wrapped around the Griffon's neck.

"Tiras! Catch!" Flae shouted as he burst into the clearing and threw his revolver towards Tiras. Tiras caught it as Flae circled around the Griffon on his hoverboard.

"Get its wings!" Flae ordered while wrapping his strings around the Griffon's neck.

Tiras fired the remaining rounds at the left wing just as Sirena appeared and took out the right wing.

"Now!" came Flae's voice, which was met with many cries. Tiras turned to see not only Scarlet and Azure, but a few other first years brandishing their weapons.

The Griffon didn't stand much of a chance now as they shredded it.

* * *

Flae stood near the front stage in the amphitheater to witness the team formations. He was there alongside Sirena, Brianna, and Tiras. The first group of four to step up consisted of two human males, a female fox Faunus, and Zaffre from earlier. One of the males had short black hair and brown eyes while the other had long golden brown hair and crimson eyes. The Faunus had beautiful snow white hair with a pink tint and white fox ears. Zaffre still had an arrogant look on his face though.

"Cenna White, Russet Goldsong, Mika Amari, and Zaffre Whisperwind. The four of you retrieved the ruby gemstones. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRMZ (Crimson), led by...Cenna White!" Professor Ozpin announced as applause rang out before the next group stepped up.

Flae was happy to see that Scarlet and Azure weren't on a team with Zaffre, but with two other guys instead. One of them with orange-tinted brown hair standing up there looked like he was from Atlas with how stiff he was; but the other was a complete contrast with brown reddish hair, a lion's tail, and relaxed body language.

"Scarlet Maron, Azure Mistclaw, Fall Lightheart, and Rufous Emberwillow. The four of you retrieved the sapphire gemstones. From this day forward, you will work together as Team SAFR (Sapphire), led by...Scarlet Maron!" Ozpin continued as Scarlet had an ecstatic expression on her face.

Finally it was time for Flae and his friends to step up.

"Flae Frostbrand, Sirena Fiori, Brianna Sage, and Tiras Bradley. The four of you retrieved the aqua gemstones. From this day forward, you will work together as Team FSBT (Frostbite), led by...Flae Frostbrand." Ozpin finished, much to Flae's shock.

"Me? As leader?" Flae muttered to himself before Tiras slapped him on the back.

"Congratulations Mr. Frostbrand." Ozpin said to him as Flae gave him a light smile in return.

"This is shaping up to be an...interesting year." Ozpin muttered.

Flae would have picked a less cryptic word.

"I wonder if my father and mother would want to meet my team?" he wondered to himself as he lost himself in the applause in the amphitheater.


	7. Chapter 7: Settling In

"So this is our new home huh?" Tiras said as he looked around the room they had been assigned.

"Yep. So are we going to unpack or are we saving that for tomorrow morning?" Sirena asked.

"Maybe we should get some of it done now…" Brianna suggested while inspecting their belongings.

Brianna and Tiras had virtually nothing, Sirena had a few suitcases, and Flae had a huge metal case along with two large travel bags.

"Flae...what on Remnant is that?" Brianna asked as Flae placed it on top of a desk next to a bed.

"Watch." Flae smirked as he pressed a button on the case.

The case extended into what looked like a portable workshop with various tools and parts. It took over the entire desk before Flae sat down.

"Wow, where did you get this thing? I'd love to have something like this on the go!" Tiras exclaimed in amazement.

"One of my friends sells these portable workshops. I should introduce you all to him sometime!" Flae replied happily.

"Cool! Oh, by the way, I forgot to return your revolver." Tiras said.

"It's fine. In fact, keep it. I was planning on replacing it anyway and it came in handy for you during initiation." Flae casually dismissed.

Tiras was about to interject when Flae held up a pistol frame.

"Wait, you've already made the frame?" Tiras said in shock.

"Yeah I made it a month ago. Making weapons and tinkering with things is a passion of mine..." Flae laughed with an embarrassed look.

Tiras let out a sigh before they began to unpack everything else.

An hour later they had made sleeping arrangements and also personalized sections of the room. Flae and Tiras were sleeping on one side while Brianna and Sirena slept on the other.

Tiras had put a framed family photo and other letters on the wall by his bed. He kept his backpack on the edge of his bed as well.

On top of the portable workshop on his desk, Flae had various parts and gizmos lying around with the rest of his luggage underneath his bed.

Brianna had everything by her bed in the corner, while Sirena had set up a large standing mirror alongside the room's wardrobe which held their spare clothes and Beacon uniforms. She had also put some books on the room's shelf.

"Alright! Unpacking complete!" Tiras exclaimed as he jumped into his bed.

"Yep...I think I'll go finish my pistol so you guys go ahead and get ready for bed without me." Flae replied as he left the room with his satchel in tow.

"I call dibs on the shower!" Sirena yelped as she lunged for the bathroom.

"Ugh...guess we're waiting then." Brianna sighed as she and Tiras began to lounge about.

* * *

"Ah, finally done…" Flae mumbled exhaustively as he stumbled back towards Team FSBT's room from the forge.

His new sidearm was a full auto pistol with an extended magazine. He'd test it out when Combat Class started, but he was sure the Dust rounds wouldn't backfire on him.

Upon opening his room's door, he saw Brianna and Sirena fast asleep; but Tiras was awake and writing something.

"Oh Flae, welcome back." Tiras said as he looked up from his letter.

"Hey, the shower's free now right? I kinda don't want to sleep with the smell of forge on me." Flae replied while gesturing towards the bathroom.

"Yep. By the way, we're going to need to organize a shower schedule. Brianna was out in no time flat while Sirena practically took forever…" Tiras groaned.

Flae laughed as he made his way towards the bathroom for a quick shower.

Their first day of classes started tomorrow after all.

* * *

Brianna was used to waking up by herself...but not to a serene melody. She turned to see Sirena sitting in a chair by their room's window humming.

"Hey..that's a nice tune." Brianna said, startling Sirena.

"Oh geez Brianna, don't scare me like that." Sirena replied in a panic.

"Sorry. Still, where'd you learn to sing like that?" Brianna apologized while sliding out of bed.

"Well I'm mostly self-taught, but my older sister Aria helped with my voice lessons." Sirena explained.

"Cool...Anyway, what time is it?" Brianna yawned out.

"It's 8:31. We have a little less than half an hour before class starts." Sirena said while getting up and stretching her arms.

Brianna and Sirena then noticed that the boys were still sleeping.

"Do we dare?" Sirena snickered mischievously.

"We dare." Brianna replied with an evil smirk.

They quietly tiptoed into the bathroom to grab some water…

* * *

"GAH!" Tiras cried out as he awoke to a blast of cold water. He scrambled out of bed and saw Brianna holding an empty bucket.

"Gotcha!" Brianna laughed out as Tiras fell out of bed in surprise.

"Alright alright I'm up!" he growled while picking himself up.

Brianna then turned to see how Sirena was doing.

To her surprise, Flae had been drenched as well but he wasn't waking up.

"Huh? Flae, wake up...it's almost time for class." Sirena shook him.

Flae stirred and yawned casually while soaking wet.

"Well, I've heard of wetting the bed but this is ridiculous." Flae muttered, getting a laugh out of everyone.

Flae and Tiras quickly headed for the bathroom to dry up while the girls got into their uniforms.

"Hey Brianna, don't you think the uniform's skirt is a bit too short?" Sirena said while pulling on her leggings.

"I've seen worse but I see where you're coming from." Brianna mumbled in reply.

"Hey is it alright for us to come out now?" Flae asked from inside the bathroom.

"Yeah, thanks for waiting!" Sirena replied as Flae and Tiras stepped out wearing their uniforms.

"I gotta say, these uniforms are nice and loose compared to the ones back in Atlas." Flae said while tugging the sleeves of his blazer.

"Yeah...the blazer doesn't feel quite right though." Tiras complained.

The girls laughed at their banter before they realized they only had a few minutes before class started.

"Okay, let's head ou-Wah!" Sirena said before she tripped on something.

She quickly recovered and noticed her foot ensnared by a yo-yo.

"Darn it Flae!" she yelled as Flae snickered and fled the room towards their classroom.

"How'd he even do that without his weapon?" Tiras wondered aloud.

"No clue, and I don't think we should question it." Brianna sighed as they followed Sirena chasing after Flae.

* * *

They all barreled into History class with five minutes to spare. Sirena had calmed down and was sitting next to Flae without trying to strangle him.

"Sorry, just a little payback for this morning." Flae nervously laughed while rubbing the back of his head.

Sirena pouted at him before Profess...er, Doctor Oobleck zoomed into class with a mug of coffee.

"Good morning students! For our first lesson we will be going over the Faunus Rights Revolution, more commonly known as the Faunus War." he rapidly said before taking a sip of his coffee.

Flae cringed at the ridiculous pace, but he brought out paper and a pencil to be ready to try and keep up. He also was fiddling with one of his yo-yos.

"Tell me, how many of you in this room have been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?" he asked the class.

Quite a few raised their hands, including Scarlet, Mika, Sirena, and Tiras.

"Dreadful! Simply dreadful! Students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence! I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to the White Fang! Hm, do you have something to add Mr. Whisperwind?" Doctor Oobleck inquired at Zaffre's raised hand.

"Compared to humans, Faunus sure get angry easily." he laughed, much to the disappointment of the class and Doctor Oobleck.

"What are you trying to imply?" Tiras chimed in.

"See, look at you!" Zaffre retorted.

"Mr. Whisperwind, Mr. Bradley...please calm down." Doctor Oobleck sighed as he noticed another hand.

"Yes Mr. Frostbrand?"

"I don't see why Zaffre classifies it as the Faunus getting riled up. It's a natural reaction after all. We all have a limit on how patient we are with dealing with things like this...and when that limit is reached anyone is going to snap." Flae explained.

"Very true Mr. Frostbrand!" Doctor Oobleck replied.

"And when people snap, they tend to pursue extreme goals, regardless of who they are." Tiras added while throwing a glare at Zaffre.

Doctor Oobleck nodded thoughtfully as he quickly went on with the lesson to stop any further tension.

* * *

The next class was Grimm Studies with Professor Port. Team FSBT had heard rumors of students falling asleep within seconds of the class, so they mentally prepared himself for a boring teacher.

When they sat down and Professor Port started speaking...they didn't expect anything much.

"Monsters! Deeemons….Prowlers of the night! The creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey. Ha-ha!" he boisterously exclaimed.

An awkward silence filled the classroom, but Flae smiled while Tiras chuckled slightly.

"This..actually isn't so bad. He kinda reminds me of my grandfather." Tiras thought to himself.

"Uhhh..and you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in! Huntsmen, Huntresses…." Professor Port trailed off as he briefly looked over the female portion of the class.

Sirena and Brianna saw a creeped out look on the majority of the girls, and they felt the same way.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!" he finished before clearing his throat.

"That is what you're training to become. But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man...Me! When I was a boy…" he began as the majority of the class began to slump.

"Yikes...so the rumors were true." Flae muttered to himself as he began to play with his yo-yo.

Tiras seemed to be listening intently, but everyone else had seemed to ignore his story.

This went on for a while before he finally got Flae's full attention once again.

"The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable! A true Huntsman must be dependable! A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise! So, who here believes to be the embodiment of these traits?" he exclaimed.

Flae noted that Zaffre was about to raise his hand, so he quickly did so instead. Scarlet also raised her hand.

"Well then, why don't you two step forward and meet your opponents!" Professor Port chuckled as he motioned to two cages behind him. Glowing red eyes were visible in both of them.

* * *

A few minutes later, Flae and Scarlet were standing in front of the cages wearing their combat gear.

Scarlet brandished her claw gauntlets, Flae loaded two new clips into Element Spica, and Professor Port stood by the cages with a blunderbuss axe.

"Alright! Let the match...begin!" he exclaimed before cutting the lock on a cage and a Boarbatusk charged out.

Scarlet quickly parried it off to the side with her claws, and while it was recovering she tried to slash it down; only for her strike to be deflected.

"Oh crap!" she exclaimed as it flung her away.

"Haha, wasn't expecting that were you!" Professor Port laughed out.

Flae analyzed their foe. There was no way a direct attack was going through its armor.

It charged once more, but Flae had an idea.

"Scarlet! Get ready to strike again!" Flae ordered.

"But its armor!" she replied.

"Leave that to me!" Flae smiled as he fired a yo-yo towards the Boarbatusk's foot. He then quickly flung his hand down, making the Boarbatusk fly into the air.

"Ah, clever approach indeed!" Professor Port remarked.

"Now! Under its stomach!" Flae shouted to Scarlet.

Scarlet nodded as she noticed the Boarbatusk's lack of armor underneath. She reflexively leaped at it and tore it open with her claws before it quickly dissipated. Scarlet then landed and flashed a peace sign at Flae.

"Nice one Flae!" she exclaimed with a smile on her face, failing to realize that the professor was opening the second cage.

"Scarlet! Bend down!" Flae shouted as he charged with his wristblade drawn.

It was very sudden as a Beowolf charged out from the other cage. Scarlet suddenly bent over and Flae quickly rolled over Scarlet's back.

"Grah!" Flae shouted as he drove his blade right between the Beowolf's eyes.

There was a slight pause before Professor Port applauded them.

"Bravo! It seems that we are in the presence of a true Hunter and Huntress in training!" he exclaimed as Flae retracted his wristblade. The rest of the class had now joined in the applause.

"Now, I'm afraid that's the time we have for today! I have some readings on the board that you should cover, and...stay vigilant! Class dismissed!" he continued before the bell rang for lunch.

* * *

"Man, was that story a drag or what?" Scarlet complained to her teammates as they were walking through the halls.

"It was quite...interesting." Azure laughed.

"You think he has grandkids who he tells these stories to on a regular basis?" their lazy teammate Russet replied.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did." came the calm voice of Fall, the "anchor" of their group.

"Anyway, it's time for lu-Huh? Is that Sirena over there?" Scarlet said as she noticed Sirena running towards them frantically.

"Guys! Agh...have you seen Flae anywhere? He just disappeared!" she panted out while trying to catch her breath.

"Huh? What do...wait, he did leave class in a hurry now that I remember. He didn't even change out of his combat gear." Scarlet murmured.

"Well that's worrisome. You sure he's not just taking a nap somewhere?" Russet muttered.

"Let's just keep our eyes open for him." Fall replied.

Sirena nodded as she hoped Flae really was just napping.

* * *

"Agh...it's quite nice today." Flae muttered to himself as he laid comfortably in a tree. He had already grabbed a sandwich and some soda before coming out here, so he didn't see any reason to head to the cafeteria right now. Besides, he needed to think.

"I..guess I'm not completely over it." he thought as he grasped his shaking hand.

It was unfortunate that even if it was just a Grimm, Beowolves acted too similar to the lizard mutants he used to fight.

"They really are nothing more than monsters...Hammerfall Technologies." Flae sighed as he lifted the left sleeve of his jacket and shirt, revealing a set of green scales spreading on his arm.

"Then again, can I really call myself anything less?" he moaned as he began to eat his sandwich.

"There you are." came the familiar voice of Tiras.

Flae looked below him, but saw nothing there. He then looked up and saw Tiras hovering by him.

"Yo Tiras, what's going on?" Flae casually replied as he sipped his soda.

"We've been looking for you for a while now. Care to explain why you bolted out of class like you did?" Tiras scolded, but his look softened when he saw a mellow look on Flae's face.

"Well...How about I explain later tonight? On the dorm rooftop more specifically." Flae sighed as Tiras silently nodded.

He knew that he probably shouldn't push the subject now.

* * *

Afternoon classes passed by quickly, since Combat Class didn't start until tomorrow. Tiras had passed on the message to Sirena and Brianna after they had calmed their neighboring teams down, so now they headed towards the rooftop.

"I wonder what has Flae so shaken up." Tiras muttered.

"Good question. Whatever it is though, I think that Beowolf had something to do with it." Sirena replied.

"Well we're going to find out now..." Brianna stated as she opened the door to the rooftop.

Flae was sitting there in his combat gear, excluding his weapon.

"Yo guys!" he exclaimed with a smile on his face.

"Hey Flae...so you gonna tell us now?" Tiras said before Sirena slapped him on the back.

"Tiras, don't you think that's a little insensitive?" she scolded.

"Huh? Oh...right. Sorry Flae." Tiras quickly apologized.

Flae waved it off before standing up and letting out a sigh.

"Tell me, have you guys ever heard of Hammerfall Technologies?" he questioned.

Tiras had a confused look on his face while Sirena spoke up.

"Aren't they that company that's trying to improve Scroll models?" Sirena answered.

"Technically that's true, but that's just a cover...Hey Brianna, you okay?" Flae started before his voice changed to one of worry.

Tiras and Sirena looked towards Brianna and saw that she had frozen up.

"H...Hammer...fall…" she incoherently muttered.

Flae decided to press on before Brianna broke down or worse.

"In reality however, Hammerfall Technologies is an experimental genetics facility. What they're actually trying to accomplish is to turn both humans and Faunus into super soldiers. Their experiments unfortunately rob their test subject of their humanity, making the subject no better than a Grimm." Flae solemnly explained.

"And how do you know about this?" Sirena asked.

"Because my siblings and I had been captured by them." Flae bluntly stated.

A deadly silence fell as Flae continued.

"That's the reason I've been missing for so long. And unfortunately Hammerfall doesn't like letting go of their assets so they've been trying to track me down. They love to send mutants to do their dirty work…" Flae said as he caught his voice trembling.

"Flae, you don't have to go on." Tiras replied.

"Yeah, but I'd like to get one last thing out of the way...and this is probably going to be the most shocking." Flae gulped as he lifted his jacket sleeve.

Everyone gasped as they saw Flae's arm covered in green lizard-like scales.

"I'm one of their biggest assets, since the serum they injected into me has remained stable for all these years. They can't afford to lose me." Flae explained as he touched the scales.

"So..what's going to happen to you?" Tiras calmly asked.

"I don't know. That's the problem with experiments...you never know when they'll go wrong, or right for that manner. And I've had to take on too many of those failed experiments. It doesn't help that Beowolves move in a similar fashion." Flae deadpanned.

A creepy silence followed before Flae spoke once more.

"Now, none of this leaves this rooftop, understood?" Flae ordered, getting nods from his team.

"Good, then let's go get dinner! I'm starving!" Flae exclaimed happily, much to everyone's surprise.

Tiras and Sirena quickly followed, but Brianna excused herself to go back to their dorm instead.

When she got inside, she tossed herself into bed as she trembled.

"K..Keep it together….Keep it together." she mumbled as her memories of Hammerfall Technologies flooded back into her mind.

She fell asleep before the others got back.


	8. Chapter 8: Lingering Wounds

The next day Combat Class with Professor Goodwitch started. Team FSBT was ready alongside the rest of the class in the amphitheater.

"For our first match, could Brianna Sage and Fall Lightheart please step up?" She said while tapping on a Scroll.

As the two combatants stepped onto the stage, Tiras had trouble holding in his laughter at the sight of Brianna being so much shorter than Fall.

Brianna unfurled her whip as she studied her opponent.

"Fall may have the height advantage, but he lacks range and is a larger target." She thought to herself before the professor signaled the start of the match.

She quickly lashed her whip towards Fall, which he tried to block, only to be sent backwards a bit.

Fall quickly recovered before Brianna tried to strike him again. This time, Fall deftly dodged the strike before charging at Brianna.

Brianna quickly loaded a bolt into her wrist crossbow and fired trying to intercept.

Fall easily blocked the bolt before bringing his sword to bear, but before the strike hit her, Brianna surrounded herself with a dark purple aura.

Fall's strike was easily repelled before Brianna countered him with her whip.

"Gah!" Fall cried out as he went flying halfway across the stage.

Brianna quickly glanced at the monitor above them and saw that her Aura was still strong, while Fall's had taken a significant blow. She was quickly alerted when she heard a whistle.

An arrow suddenly zoomed past, barely missing her face. She turned to see that Fall had sheathed his longsword and was now holding a metal longbow. Fall nocked another arrow into his bow but Brianna was quicker on the draw with her crossbow.

She fired a Fire Dust bolt at Fall just as his arrow flew towards her. The bolt exploded as Brianna barely ducked the arrow, and then the professor caught their attention.

"And that's the match." Professor Goodwitch said.

Brianna took another glance at the monitor and saw that Fall's Aura had fallen into the red.

"Miss Sage, I would suggest that you develop a bit more focus. Dumb luck won't save you from every projectile." The professor scolded as Brianna silently nodded.

"Mister Lightheart, it would be in your best interest to work on your defense. Blocking isn't going to stop the majority of attacks thrown at you." She continued as Fall bowed respectfully.

Brianna and Fall then stepped off the stage, but Brianna was the only one showing visible exhaustion.

"You okay?" Flae asked as she sat down.

"Yeah...just not used to duels like this." She replied while trying to fix her disheveled hair.

Flae then glanced over at Fall and noticed something about his longbow. It was made out of Frostbrand metal. As he was wondering where he got it, Professor Goodwitch announced the next match.

"Flae Frostbrand and Zaffre Whisperwind."

Flae quickly jumped onto the stage as Zaffre drew his halberd.

"Hey, may the best fighter win." Flae tried to be courteous.

"I plan to." Zaffre spat back as the match started.

Flae charged at Zaffre knowing full well he had the range advantage, but as Zaffre thrusted at him; he quickly parried it off to the side using his gauntlet shield. Zaffre then went for a slash which Flae intercepted.

Sparks flew as they clashed, but Zaffre was able to repel Flae backwards.

"Hah!" Zaffre laughed but soon paled when Flae drew his pistol. He quickly dodged and blocked the barrage of bullets, but while he was blocking; a yo-yo latched onto the hilt of his halberd before he was yanked forward.

Flae was able to get a quick slash on Zaffre's chest before tripping him with another yo-yo. Zaffre's grip on his halberd slipped as he tumbled to the floor.

"Yield?" Flae smirked as he brought his blade very close to Zaffre' face.

"Not yet." Zaffre spat as he desperately rolled towards his halberd. He was barely able to dodge another strike from Flae as he grabbed his halberd and aimed it at Flae.

Flae only then realized that Zaffre's weapon had a grenade launcher attached to it.

"Wagh!" Flae yelped as Zaffre pulled the trigger. A dust grenade flew towards Flae as he threw himself out of the way.

"Damn, gotta end this quick." Flae thought to himself as he rushed Zaffre again. Another grenade came flying at him as Flae raised his shield to block it.

The blast was mostly absorbed by the shield, but the grenade still ate a chunk of his Aura. He shrugged off the impact before he retracted his wristblade and punched Zaffre in the jaw.

Zaffre was sent backwards as the professor stopped them.

"That's enough. Mr. Whisperwind's Aura has fallen into the red." she said as Zaffre picked himself up and Flae took a deep breath. The professor turned to Flae first.

"Mr. Frostbrand, while I admire your bravery you should be more cautious. I doubt your Aura would've held up much longer."

"I understand Professor Goodwitch." Flae said respectfully as she turned to Zaffre.

"Mr. Whisperwind, while your form was good, you shouldn't let arrogance rule your actions."

"Yes..I understand…" Zaffre mumbled as he picked up his halberd.

He couldn't describe what he was feeling. Rage? Or was it just resentment? Either way he had enough, and threw his weapon to the ground in frustration.

Only for another grenade to fire out of it towards a distracted Flae.

"Oh crap, watch out!" Zaffre tried to warn, but Flae was only able to turn and see it flying towards him before it exploded.

Flae was sent flying off the stage as he landed in a heap.

"Flae!" Tiras cried out as he ran over.

"Mr. Whisperwind! What on earth are you doing!" Professor Goodwitch yelled as Zaffre held his hands up.

"It..was an accident I swear! I didn't know it could've misfired like that!" He said in a panicked voice.

Professor Goodwitch continued to scold him as the rest of Team FSBT checked up on Flae.

"Flae...you alright?" Sirena asked as Flae picked himself up.

"Ugh..no..I did not expect that grenade…" Flae laughed out.

"Well you certainly-Flae you're bleeding!" Sirena gasped.

Flae lifted his left arm and saw bits of grenade shrapnel stuck in it as a dark liquid poured out of his wounds. His Aura must've been too weak to fully absorb that blast.

"Mr. Bradley, get your leader to the infirmary immediately!" Professor Goodwitch said as Tiras nodded and picked Flae up before rushing him out of the amphitheater.

"I'm sure Zaffre didn't do that on purpose, regardless of how much of a jerk he is." Flae said while lying down in bed.

"Yeah, but he still should've known that any weaponry using Dust can be still unstable." Tiras replied.

Flae had been bandaged up after the shrapnel had been removed, and now he was just resting. Sirena and Brianna moved onto their next class while Tiras remained with Flae.

"Hey Flae, can you tell me something?" Tiras asked as Flae tilted his head in confusion.

"Your blood...is it that way because of what happened at Hammerfall Technologies?" He whispered, getting a solemn nod from Flae.

"It's poisonous too, in terms of ingestion." Flae elaborated, much to Tiras' horror.

"Let me ask you something Tiras. Have you ever been called a monster, being a Faunus?"

"Huh? Well, actually yes I have. Mostly here in Vale, less back home in Vacuo."

"You know, that really makes you wonder...does humanity really not know what to classify as a monster?"

Tiras didn't know how to respond, so he just let Flae continue.

"The real monsters are the kind of people who work for Hammerfall Technologies. They're no better than Grimm, and the same goes for all the subjects they experiment on."

"But Flae, surely not all of the subjects are monsters right? I mean, you've turned out all right so far. I can't see you as a monster." Tiras laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well I suppose you're right. Anyway, I think I've taken up enough of your class time. Mind taking notes and perhaps bringing dinner by if I'm not out by then?" Flae replied with a smile.

"You got it boss! I'll see you later!" Tiras happily said as he left the infirmary.

 _Click._

As the door closed behind Tiras, Flae threw himself into his bed's pillow before covering his eyes with his arm as a few tears escaped him.

"I'm sorry Tiras." Flae thought to himself, "If there's one thing I can say for certain about the serum is that it turns the mind of anyone into one of a monster. I guess you could say I'm just better at hiding it, but I hate to say; I really wanted to kill Zaffre during that duel. Feral rage from combat just got to me...but what's to say it won't happen again, and what if I'm not able to stop it then?"

Flae kept wondering to himself before he realized something.

Tomorrow was Saturday. He could go visit his sister.

"Well, that'll take my mind off this duel." he muttered before falling asleep.

He was awoken when the rest of his team came back with a tray with an orange soda and a plate of spaghetti and meatballs from the cafeteria.

"So tomorrow's the weekend, do you guys want to do anything? Sirena said as she sipped her own soda.

"Hm, we could just go hang out at a cafe or something." Brianna replied.

"Well, if you guys want to join me, I'm going to go visit my sister who's staying at a hotel in downtown Vale." Flae said.

"Wait, your sister? I thought…" Sirena started before Flae cut her off.

"Yeah I know, but don't bring it up around her."

They continued to eat and chat before an infirmary nurse announced that visiting hours were over.

Tiras and the others left as Flae slumped back into his bed.

"I can only hope she's alright." He thought to himself before falling asleep once again.


	9. Chapter 9: A Trip to Vale

"Augh...why did we have to wake up so early?" Brianna said tiredly.

"Because I want you guys to meet both my sister and one of my closest friends before we go try out that sweets shop that Tiras recommended!" Flae replied energetically.

"I suppose so, but did you really have to wake us up in such an abrupt way?" Tiras moaned.

"Mmmmrgh…" Sirena mumbled with her eyes barely open.

Earlier that morning, Flae had woken the rest of his team up with an air horn; which was why his team were in varying states of consciousness as they walked through downtown Vale.

They first stopped in front of a large hotel.

"Flae, your sister's staying at the Moonlight Hotel?" Tiras said with new energy.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Flae replied.

"Oh it's fine, it's just that I was staying here before I came to Beacon."

"You're from Vacuo Tiras, what's the heat like?" Brianna asked.

"The heat's fine, but it's the sand that irritates me more. It really sucks to have specks of dust hitting your face or being unable to enjoy food because of the sand in it." He laughed in reply.

They then headed inside the hotel.

"Welcome to the Moonlight Hotel, how may I help you?" A male receptionist asked as they walked in.

"Hello I'm here to see my sister. Her name is Celine Frostbrand. Could you please call her down?" Flae explained as he held out his Scroll with his ID.

"One moment." The receptionist said before taking his Scroll and scanning it behind the desk.

Flae waited a few minutes before his Scroll was handed back to him.

"If you don't mind Mr. Frostbrand, your sister wishes to meet you in our cafe." The receptionist explained.

"Very well, thank you very much." Flae replied as he and his team headed towards the cafe.

The cafe was small but had a homely feeling. Team FSBT sat at a small table, sipping cups of coffee, but it wasn't long until a series of rapid footsteps caught their attention.

"Flae!" Came a cheerful voice.

Everyone turned to see a relatively small girl with long light blue hair and dark blue eyes. She had a big smile on her face as she ran into the cafe towards Flae.

"Trina, it's good to se-Oof!" Flae started but was cut off when Trina launched herself towards Flae, forcing him to catch her.

"Geez, what have I told you about flinging yourself into people?" Flae sighed.

"I know…" Trina pouted before Flae raised his arm and patted her on the head, earning a cute giggle from her.

Flae then sat her down at the table.

"So Trina, this is my team at Beacon. We form Team Frostbite. The two Faunus are Tiras and Sirena, and that's Brianna." Flae explained.

"Oh hey, I know Sirena! She attended some of our house parties back at Atlas!" Trina exclaimed.

"Really? Huh, guess I wasn't paying attention. Sorry Sirena." Flae chuckled.

"Oh no it's fine...you didn't exactly seem like you wanted to chat anyway." Sirena replied.

"She says that, but for some reason she wouldn't stop looking at you during the party Flae!" Trina teased, which got a snicker out of Brianna before Tiras joined in on the teasing.

"Ooh, sounds like someone had a thing for Flae when they were young!" Tiras laughed.

"Well..um...I wasn't…" Sirena stammered before Flae cut them all off.

"Let's stop the teasing right there. Now, I need a word in private with Trina, so could you excuse us for a minute?"

Flae's team nodded as he asked Trina to show him to her room.

"So Flae? What did you want to talk to me about?" Trina asked as she sat down on her room's bed.

"How'd you escape Hammerfall Technologies?" Flae bluntly stated.

Trina went deathly silent before taking a deep breath. Flae sat down on the floor in front of her.

"Well...it...happened a little while after you left. There was a power outage in the lab, and everyone went ballistic. Ferrol and I were able to reach an armory amidst the chaos." Trina started.

"Flae, I'm not sure if you knew this, but Brianna was there at Hammerfall Technologies as well."

"Huh? She was? Man, I need to work on my perception." Flae replied.

"Yeah, and she helped Ferrol and I...but Ferrol...he stayed behind to allow Brianna and I to get out of there. I can only hope that he was only recaptured." Trina continued with difficulty.

"Hm. Well I'm not gonna make any promises little sis, but I'm gonna bring him back." Flae smiled while patting Trina on the head.

An hour later, Flae and his team left the hotel and Trina behind.

"So should we head over to the sweets shop now?" Tiras asked.

"Sure, maybe there's...oh wait…" Flae started before he quickly pulled out his scroll.

"Ozpin has a message for me." Flae said as everyone else moved over.

"To all team leaders, there is a special event that will be taking place at Beacon in the amphitheater this coming Monday. Formal dress is required." The message said.

Flae then looked up from his Scroll and came face to face with a grinning Sirena.

"Tell me Flae, do you have formal dress?" Sirena snickered.

"Well, I could just request something from home…" Flae nervously replied.

"How about we go to the mall as a team instead?" Sirena suggested.

"Um...alright I guess. Tiras, Brianna? You two okay with that?" Flae asked.

Brianna gave a slight nod while Tiras sighed in resignation.

Five minutes later, Team FSBT arrived in front of Vale Central Mall.

"Hey guys? There's something I wanted to bring up because of the leader event coming up." Sirena shyly said.

"Huh? Is it something we shouldn't talk about in public?" Flae questioned.

"Oh no it's not like that. The day after the event is my birthday, so I was wondering if we could celebrate it as a team, maybe even invite some others." Sirena smiled.

"Your birthday? Well it's fortunate we're at the mall then...it's a shame we didn't know this earlier though, otherwise we could've planned a surprise party." Tiras sighed.

"It would've only really worked if Sirena didn't tell us." Brianna explained.

"Well regardless, I think we should do some preparation for both events right now. Let's go clothes shopping!" Flae exclaimed before they started looking around.

Flae fell behind the others as he thought about something however.

"Huh, Sirena shares the same birthday with me. Should I let the others know?" Flae thought as he walked into a clothes shop with his team.

"Maybe not. I still have bad memories from my birthday years ago, when Hammerfall Technologies took my siblings and I." Flae said to himself as Sirena started to throw various articles of clothing at them.


End file.
